Ministry Marketing CoachMinistry Branding and Marketing that Works

I have compiled a short list of tools that anyone can use to monitor their site and/or increase the ease with which it is maintained. I caution you against over-monitoring your website as it can be time consuming and less fruitful than merely creating more content.

My previous post discussed the Importance of Content in SEO and I mentioned that I would include some tools that will help you transcribe your daily activities into potential content. I’ve incorporated those into this list.

Google Analytics / PostRank Analytics – Most site owners are already familiar with Google Analytics but I would be remiss if I didn’t add it to the list. Not only is it free, but it is arguably better than many of the other analytics sites on the market, some of which have fees associated with them. PostRank capitalizes on this fact and uses Google Analytics as a supplement to its own. At $9 a month with your first month free, PostRank Analytics does an excellent job of rating and analyzing your posts and site traffic.

CrazyEgg - Another analytics tool, CrazyEgg is valuable if you have done or are planning to perform an overhaul of your website. The service will run tests on your site in the areas you specify to determine what is being clicked and how much. The heat map is one of its most identifying visual features.

Google Voice - Just one more Google service that should cost you but doesn’t, Google Voice is a by-invitation-only service that allows you to choose a phone number that is yours for life. Anyone who dials the number you choose can be directed to up to five different phones simultaneously and all of them will stop ringing when one is answered. Voice-mails are recorded online and can be transcribed for free (rumors of a service for full length phone call transcription are beginning to circulate). As of right now you can merely record a phone call which is saved online but it can be downloaded or embedded almost immediately.

Website Grader by HubSpot - HubSpot offers the Website Grader for free to give you a good idea of how your site is doing while offering suggestions for improvement. The tool allows you to see your strengths and weaknesses as well as examine how your website stacks up to sites you consider to be your competition. Rarely will anyone ever use the tool and come away from it having learned nothing.

Dragon Naturally Speaking / Jott - Products of the company Nuance, Naturally Speaking and Jott are the much-improved children of the original voice-to-text technology. Dragon also allows you to control your computer with your voice but its most valuable feature is that you can simply talk and it will transcribe for you on the spot. With a 90% + accuracy rate, you’ll have to make some tweaks but it gets better with practice. Jott is the same idea but on your phone (any phone can use it but there are apps for smart phones to simplify it further). Short notes or post ideas are recorded and then transcribed. They can be emailed, texted, or posted on several different blog sites or social networks. Both services do have a cost associated with them.

TweetDeck - Speaking of social networks, posting a link to your latest content on each site individually is tedious and unnecessary. TweetDeck agreed and made a program that allows you to view several popular social networks simultaneously and post to them all at once (also available for your iPhone!). If your computer is in need of a speed boost I recommend you stay away from this program as it takes a lot of juice.

I welcome feedback and other suggestions since there are a multitude of helpful products and services out there. I’ll be sure and post more tools that I either use or see the value in as I come across them. Subscribe to us for the next post on developing SEO goals for your church or ministry website!